Sleeping FAQ: 12-18 Months – Night Waking

For the last three weeks my 15mth son has not slept through the night. Is he waking through habit now?

Following your routines, my son has slept through the night since around 4 months apart from any illnesses. However since the New Year he has not slept through the night. He has been poorly with viral infections that he seems to endlessly pick up from nursery and one of his molars is coming through which caused him some pain. He has also become quite clingy which he has never been before and he also started walking at Xmas.

However, now he seems better during the day, not so clingy and his teeth don’t seem to cause him much pain during the day but he is still waking up at night. This can be anytime at all, there is no pattern. I tend to leave him to cry to see if he can settle himself which he used to do quite well but the last couple of weeks he either wakes up screaming or cries on and off for ages until I go in to him.

He screams even louder when he knows I am up ! He is normally standing up in his cot ( in his sleeping bag ) and if I try to lie him down he just screams and stands straight back up again and gets very distressed. Trying to stroke his face and comfort him doesn’t work, so I try picking him up and putting him down a few times basically until I have had enough and then just leave him to settle which he normally does fairly quickly. I don’t think he would lie down and settle if I stayed in the room with him. I don’t know if he is waking because he is still in pain from his teeth or something else, so I have been giving him Nurofen but I am not sure if I should be, or has he just got into a habit of waking up for comfort ? Nothing has changed as far as his routine is concerned. He sleeps less at nursery than at home ( they don’t give him a morning sleep whereas I do ) I put him to bed before 7pm if he needs it but he wakes during the night regardless of how much or little sleep he has had during the day.

When at home my son naps at 9.30-10.15am and 1-2.30pm.

He eats three meals a day and sometimes has a snack as well.

There may be several reasons why your son has started to wake and be so distressed at night.

If your son has been ill and teething at the same time he is likely to be clingy with you. The molars, which are the last of the first set of teeth to appear, can be painful to a toddler as they come through. If you are aware that the rest of his molars are erupting, and you feel that is the reason he is waking, then give him pain relief should he wake at night. You will be able to see if the teeth are just below the surface or beginning to break through the skin.

Your son has recently started to walk. This may be another reason for his waking. The amount of energy needed to keep practising this new skill and refining it, by starting to run and climb, could be exhausting your son. He may be woken by muscle spasms in his legs due to walking all day. He may also be woken by the sensation of falling. A newly walking toddler has many falls a day, so may also have the sensation of falling in their sleep. He may stand up in his sleep and walk around his cot. When he wakes he is not sure how he got there or how to get down again and so starts to scream. Making sure he has quieter times in the day when you sit with him, and perhaps enjoy a story together, will help prevent the exhaustion which can happen with a newly walking toddler who will keep going even when tired.

Toddlers may have nightmares which can result in night time waking and screaming but children of this age are more likely to have night terrors caused by physical exertion and stimulation than by bad dreams. Make sure that your son is in bed within half an hour after having his bath. If he starts running around again at this time he will get over tired. Having a very low key, quiet bedtime routine will help him settle to sleep when ready.

This night waking may happen for a period and then disappear as your son becomes a more proficient walker and all his molars are through. It can be difficult to know how to deal with night waking which continues after a toddler has recovered from an illness. It can be easy to think that the waking is simply a habit, but the description of your son being able to settle alone seems to point to his waking partly due to exhaustion.

As your son is able to settle himself back to sleep when he wakes in the night, allow him to do so. Go in when he first wakes and let your voice reassure him rather than trying physically to lie him down. He needs to know you are there but, if he is having a night terror bought on by physical exertion, he will not want you to hold him. He is only partially awake, his body is active but his mind is not. He is moving from a deep sleep to REM sleep and gets caught between the two, which is why he is not really aware of you being there. You may like to stay near to his room whilst he settles himself and, once he seems settled, you can check him to make sure he is alright.